SOLON — They dribbled, passed, and took shots at the basket just like their classmates do, but the pace was perhaps a bit slower. For the dozen or so kids enjoying basketball skills at the Solon Community Center last Wednesday, it was the final evening of four weeks of adaptive basketball play. However, it likely won’t be the last with more programs in the works.

Adaptive sports (also called para sports) is a general term for athletic activities with rules and equipment modifications that make it possible for anybody to participate regardless of any disability.

“No barriers is Can Play’s slogan,” said Brodie Bohlen, Recreation Director for the City of Solon. Bohlen’s department has partnered with Can Play, a non-profit organization based in West Des Moines, that provides adapted recreational opportunities for approximately 15,000 Iowa kids annually through several different programs.

“Ethan (Esgate, Recreation Coordinator) and I met with them a few months ago and they’ve been trying to advance adaptive sports into smaller communities, and they thought we would be a great hub being between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, and with kids here in Solon.”

Bohlen and Esgate offered adaptive soccer this past fall with a handful of kids participating. The number of participants grew when sign-up for basketball opened to around a dozen with most from Solon and a few from the surrounding area.

Adaptive basketball has three unique circuits (or stations) with a coach at each one and the participants broken down into age groups with kids ranging from age three-to-twelve.

“We’ve found that it works to keep the younger ones with the younger ones and the older ones with the older ones. It’s a slower pace than a regular basketball camp or practice. Some of the kids get into the game and they kind-of shut off so they like extra push or attention that we can give them with about a one-to-three ratio vs. one-to-twenty. They’re getting a lot more face-to-face time with us than if they were in a team-based setting.”

The disabilities range from mobility issues to the autism spectrum to cognitive issues.

“They’re things that would hinder them in a larger group environment. When we condense it and break things up, it makes it a lot easier for them to stay focused, stay engaged, and participate in general.”

Earlier this year the Rec. Department put out a survey to gauge the community’s interest in and need for adaptive programming.

“One of the parents in our program, Chris Bakker, helped lead the charge. We met with parents, we met with the Special Education Director for the school district to help us push out some of this, we got a lot of great feedback, and people thought it was a definite need in the community. We have a family where a mother brings in her son and volunteers to help us, so it’s been great as far as getting people to help and getting participants. It started slowly but it’s gaining some traction now. Maybe by our next program, we’ll double it. It only goes up from here.”

Bohlen said as the program continues to grow so too will the need for more volunteers.

“We’re a pretty small operation – myself, Ethan, and some part-timers and college kids. If it does keep growing, we’re going to need help with this, but that’s the goal – to keep it growing and keep offering opportunities to kids who might not get those opportunities elsewhere.”

Bohlen plans to offer a four week flag football program in a few months, after the winter rec programs have died down. “The plan is to do all of our programs out of the Community Center, it’s a centralized location and if any kids have any mobility issues, you can get around on the gym floor here.”

A parent’s perspective

Chris Bakker approached Bohlen and Esgate a year ago last fall after discovering his son Hugh has a developmental delay.

“During football I noticed he was kind-of catching on to things a little slower, maybe he needed a little slower pace, which we had known based on his diagnosis. So, I went up to these guys just to say, ‘hey, I’ve done a little bit of research and I know that there’s some programs out there that’s really focused on adaptive and inclusive sports for kids like my son,’ and I asked them if they’d like to go on this journey to start this thing and they were open to it.”

His son was in the fall soccer program and the just ended basketball program as well.

“He loves it,” said Bakker. “He leaves every week with a huge smile on his face and a sense of accomplishment so it’s been really great for him.”

Bakker added the adaptive programs are a great opportunity for kids with challenges to learn and play at a much slower and more individualized pace, and it’s a great opportunity for the parents as well.

“It affords them the opportunity to get involved with some great coaches and parents that help out. And it builds a network community for parents going through very similar circumstances. We’ve been able to bond together and form a little tight-knit community around Solon.”

Bakker said he’s seen changes in his son since joining the adaptive sports programs.

“What I’ve noticed is, he’s asking more and more, ‘Hey, help me. Can we go over it again? Can we slow this down a little bit more so I can take some time to just fully grasp Above: Coach Kate talks with Rowan during an adaptive basketball session Wednesday, Dec. 11 at the Solon Community Center. Right: Coach Ethan speaks with Coach Kate’s kids it?’ Or ‘I want to be able to learn this but I might have to learn it at a little different pace or a different approach.’ That’s definitely been apparent in the classroom and at home.” The biggest change he’s seen however, has been Hugh’s determination level. “It’s so much higher. His determination and willingness to want to say, ‘I want to go do this’ on a weekly basis has gone up since we got things kicked off.”

For more information:

• Message the Solon Rec. Dept. on Facebook www.facebook.com/SolonParksandRecreation

• Email – [email protected]

• Stop by the Community Center – 313 S. Iowa St. (former Solon Middle School)

• Phone – 319-624-2499

“We’re trying to offer something for everybody, and I think we’ve accomplished that,” said Bohlen.